New and Improved!

 

I'm re-releasing my first book with a new cover, some minor edits, and bonus content but I'm getting tripped up with whether I need to call this a second edition or a revised edition. Is there a difference? What do second editions usually entail and are they usually seen in the fiction world?

 

 

I've only run into second editions in non-fiction, where information in the first edition needs to be changed. When the USSR collapsed, all geography books needed new editions!

 

But the collapse of the USSR doesn't really impact a novel that's already published.

 

I'd call this a revised edition rather than a second edition. The basic book is the same.

 

And of course, there's the question of whether you need a new copyright registration:

 

Here's what the US Copyright office says:

How much do I have to change in my own work to make a new claim of copyright?

You may make a new claim in your work if the changes are substantial and creative, something more than just editorial changes or minor changes. This would qualify as a new derivative work. For instance, simply making spelling corrections throughout a work does not warrant a new registration, but adding an additional chapter would. See Circular 14, Copyright Registration in Derivative Works and Compilations, for further information.

 

I've seen notices on the copyright page that say something like "an earlier version of this book was published in X." 

Updated:

Luralee asked:

I think I’m a little confused about what first edition means. If a book says it’s a first edition doesn’t that mean it’s the first printing?

Nope.

Editions are revisions to the whole book

Here's a photo of the cover of my trusty Merriam Webster.

Notice it's the 11th edition. 

11th edition

That means that this dictionary has been revised and updated 11 times.

You want the eleventh, not the seventh, edition so you'll know what hashtag now means!

And here's a picture from the copyright page.

Notice it's the 22nd printing. 

 

22nd printing

 

That means this edition (#11) has been run through the printing presses 22 times.
Each print run is a printing.

Printings and the size of the print run do not bear any relation to the content of the book.
It's a function of demand for the book.

If no one buys the 22nd printing (saturated market) there won't be a 23rd printing.

If aliens arrive and lots of new words enter our vocabulary, there will be a 12th edition.



Any questions?